AP/MSNBC: Don't blame Big Gulp for America's obesity
Not entirely fault of food providers, but....
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JoeUser Forums
AP (Associated Press) has news out that can be found at the linked article referenced below via MSNBC noting that we shouldn't be blaming the Big Gulp or other fast food for the obesity epidemic that is going on in the U.S.A. and around the world. The main point of the article being that it's apparently the fault of the entire village that it takes to do whatever, as well as the fault of the villager(s). A little responsibility for everyone, and enough to spread around.
I'm not sure I buy the material in the article though. The Agribusinesses in the U.S.A. (and worldwide for that matter) have had their hands out at the trough for years. They've taken money from the government to develop the best tastes and flavor that science has to offer, so they can sell more and more of their products. Just because -- as the article notes -- it was done in more sunshine and with less collusion and dirty tricks than used by the tobacco industries, doesn't mean those businesses shouldn't bear more responsibility here.
The sweeteners used in most soft drinks are down right evil products. Actually, not just limited to soft drinks. Found in products like Arizona Iced Tea, Gator Ade, and more. High Fructose Corn syrup. Stuff that a typical human doesn't break down nearly as efficiently as traditional sugar. The science has been there on that fact for a while now, and yet the soft drink and beverage manufacturers haven't switched back to traditional sugar.
Is it the fault of 7-11 if I buy the super mega big gulp and suck down all 64 oz.'s of the syrupy drink contained there-in? Obviously not. They sold it, but they didn't hold a gun to the head of the consumer to drink it, or even to buy that size. Do we need to outlaw those mega sizes to save ourselves from ourselves? I don't think so. If people are stupid enough to ignore the obvious when they fill up one of those gigantic mugs/cups and think about the 3 minutes it took them to fill the entire cup, then why should the rest of us have to save them? And why should someone that is a bit smarter about how they consume the beverage -- filling the cup with a lot of ice, and not so much of the sweetened beverage -- be forced to give up their freedom of choice?
In anycase, the original article can be found on MSNBC at the link provided by the headline. Read up and enjoy. Feel free to comment below.
Don't blame Big Gulp for America's obesity
Food companies push high-calorie fare, but we're all a part of it
It’s tempting to blame big food companies for America’s big obesity problem.
After all, they’re the folks who Supersized our fries, family-portioned our potato chips and Big Gulped our sodas. There’s also the billions they’ve spent keeping their products ever on our minds and in our mouths.
Likened by some to the way tobacco companies seduced smokers, such practices have made the food industry the target of lawsuits and legislation seeking to yank junk food from schools and curb advertising to children.
But some experts say neither the problem nor the solution is nearly so simple.
“You don’t have the collusion or the cover-up you had in smoking,” says James Tillotson, a business and food policy professor at Tufts’ Friedman School of Nutrition. “We want to blame somebody, but the thing is, we’re all a part of it.”
Sure, companies set the stage with cheap, calorie-dense foods.
But government also has propped up agribusiness, the medical community was slow to take on obesity and good nutrition, and consumers seem determined to move less and eat more, says Tillotson, a former food industry executive.
How much of that burden of blame belongs to the food industry can be difficult to answer.
Personal responsibility
The food industry emerged at a time when malnutrition was the nation’s chief dietary concern. But at some point food became too plentiful, a change that altered the culture of the American diet.
Yale obesity expert Dr. David Katz says that’s because companies aggressively peddle food to people who don’t need it.
... more at linked article
I'm not sure I buy the material in the article though. The Agribusinesses in the U.S.A. (and worldwide for that matter) have had their hands out at the trough for years. They've taken money from the government to develop the best tastes and flavor that science has to offer, so they can sell more and more of their products. Just because -- as the article notes -- it was done in more sunshine and with less collusion and dirty tricks than used by the tobacco industries, doesn't mean those businesses shouldn't bear more responsibility here.
The sweeteners used in most soft drinks are down right evil products. Actually, not just limited to soft drinks. Found in products like Arizona Iced Tea, Gator Ade, and more. High Fructose Corn syrup. Stuff that a typical human doesn't break down nearly as efficiently as traditional sugar. The science has been there on that fact for a while now, and yet the soft drink and beverage manufacturers haven't switched back to traditional sugar.
Is it the fault of 7-11 if I buy the super mega big gulp and suck down all 64 oz.'s of the syrupy drink contained there-in? Obviously not. They sold it, but they didn't hold a gun to the head of the consumer to drink it, or even to buy that size. Do we need to outlaw those mega sizes to save ourselves from ourselves? I don't think so. If people are stupid enough to ignore the obvious when they fill up one of those gigantic mugs/cups and think about the 3 minutes it took them to fill the entire cup, then why should the rest of us have to save them? And why should someone that is a bit smarter about how they consume the beverage -- filling the cup with a lot of ice, and not so much of the sweetened beverage -- be forced to give up their freedom of choice?
In anycase, the original article can be found on MSNBC at the link provided by the headline. Read up and enjoy. Feel free to comment below.
Don't blame Big Gulp for America's obesity
Food companies push high-calorie fare, but we're all a part of it
It’s tempting to blame big food companies for America’s big obesity problem.
After all, they’re the folks who Supersized our fries, family-portioned our potato chips and Big Gulped our sodas. There’s also the billions they’ve spent keeping their products ever on our minds and in our mouths.
Likened by some to the way tobacco companies seduced smokers, such practices have made the food industry the target of lawsuits and legislation seeking to yank junk food from schools and curb advertising to children.
But some experts say neither the problem nor the solution is nearly so simple.
“You don’t have the collusion or the cover-up you had in smoking,” says James Tillotson, a business and food policy professor at Tufts’ Friedman School of Nutrition. “We want to blame somebody, but the thing is, we’re all a part of it.”
Sure, companies set the stage with cheap, calorie-dense foods.
But government also has propped up agribusiness, the medical community was slow to take on obesity and good nutrition, and consumers seem determined to move less and eat more, says Tillotson, a former food industry executive.
How much of that burden of blame belongs to the food industry can be difficult to answer.
Personal responsibility
The food industry emerged at a time when malnutrition was the nation’s chief dietary concern. But at some point food became too plentiful, a change that altered the culture of the American diet.
Yale obesity expert Dr. David Katz says that’s because companies aggressively peddle food to people who don’t need it.
... more at linked article
